Judge cuts award to victims in Muttontown slavery case
Mahender and Varsha Sabhnani before their trial. (Dec. 18, 2007) Credit: James Carbone
The Muttontown couple imprisoned for keeping two servants enslaved have won a legal victory of sorts, according to officials.
A federal judge Monday reduced by $256,500 the amount of restitution that the two, Varsha and Mahender Sabhnani, owe their victims.
U.S. District Judge Arthur Spatt in Central Islip in 2008 had sentenced Varsha Sabhnani to 11 years in prison and her husband, Mahender Sabhnani, to 40 months. Spatt also ordered the two to pay the two enslaved women, Enung and Samirah, a total of $936,000 in restitution for lost wages based on the assumption that they worked 24-hour days.
The women only use a single name.
In March, a federal appeals court ruled however that a loophole in federal labor law does not include overtime provisions for domestic workers who reside in their employer's home. The appeals court upheld the prison sentences.
Recalculating the amount of restitution owed under the appeals court ruling, Spatt said the Sabhnanis, who are now serving their prison terms, only owed Enung and Samirah a total of about $680,000, according to federal officials.
A civil suit brought by Enung and Samirah seeking separate damages from the Sabhnanis is pending in federal court. Attorneys for the Sabhnanis and the two Indonesian women could not be reached for comment.
It's Your Business! This month's roundup including how to protect yourself from digital scams Join NewsdayTV as we recount the top business stories on LI that you need to know about.
It's Your Business! This month's roundup including how to protect yourself from digital scams Join NewsdayTV as we recount the top business stories on LI that you need to know about.
